It was only three years ago that train cars containing more than 100,000 gallons of vinyl chloride and PVC plastic derailed and were subsequently burned, setting off a major environmental health disaster that contaminated East Palestine, Ohio. Three years later, residents are still getting sick from toxic fallout related to the derailment. This devastating incident is a painful reminder of the inherent dangers of making, transporting, using, and disposing of vinyl chloride and other chemicals to make PVC plastic.
PVC plastic is made from vinyl chloride monomer — a dangerous, cancer-causing petrochemical with well-documented toxic hazards at every stage of its lifecycle. It is a known human carcinogen associated with liver cancer, brain and lung cancers, and cancers of the blood. Many vinyl products are also often filled with several toxic additives such as endocrine-disrupting phthalates, which can pollute the air inside of our homes and build up in dust.
The number one use of vinyl chloride is to make PVC for building products like vinyl flooring and siding. Retailers like The Home Depot continue to sell PVC, despite safer alternatives being available.
Today — the day of its annual shareholder meeting — we’re joining our allies in calling on The Home Depot to act as a leader in transitioning us away from using plastic building products made with cancer causing chemicals.
Over 269 million pounds of PVC were put into flooring in the U.S. in 2023. This dangerous plastic poses a threat not only to the communities where it’s produced and transported, but also to the millions of consumers who buy these products.
More than 25,000 people in every state of the U.S. have come together to call on The Home Depot to eliminate PVC plastic in packaging and building materials, highlighting the growing reputational risks of selling products made from or packaged in PVC. We’ve teamed up with like-minded organizations like Toxic-Free Future and their members to call on The Home Depot to work with suppliers to restrict PVC in brand-name packaging and products sold on its shelves.
Specifically, we’re calling on The Home Depot to publicly commit to:
- Eliminate PVC packaging from both private-label and brand-name packaging within one year.
- Adopt a forward-looking commitment to phase PVC out of building materials while increasing and promoting the availability of safer alternatives to PVC building materials in your stores.
- Prioritize safer, plastic-free materials to reduce toxic pollution, and ensure they are reusable, recyclable, or compostable. When plastics can’t be avoided, avoid other high-hazard plastics such as PVDC, polystyrene, and polycarbonate plastics.
- Disclose progress annually, including supplier compliance.
The good news is that The Home Depot has a track record of doing the right thing in response to consumer demand campaigns like this one. The largest home improvement chain in the world has led the industry in removing harmful chemicals from its products in the past — eliminating phthalates in flooring, PFAS in carpets, and deadly methylene chloride in paint strippers. More recently, they’ve made progress in reducing the use of PVC in their private-label packaging. But they continue to sell PVC in brand-name packaging and many building materials, like flooring.
Home Depot investors are voting on two separate shareholder resolutions asking the company to address toxic plastics such as PVC today. Similar resolutions were filed last year, one of which received 17 percent of the vote. But we can do better.
Let’s come together and send a message urging Home Depot’s CEO to ban PVC plastic.
